{"id":20411,"date":"2021-11-17T02:46:58","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T07:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=20411"},"modified":"2021-11-17T02:52:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T07:52:00","slug":"cleo-smith-man-wrongly-identified-as-abduction-suspect-sues-tv-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/11\/17\/cleo-smith-man-wrongly-identified-as-abduction-suspect-sues-tv-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleo Smith: Man wrongly identified as abduction suspect sues TV station"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An Australian man has launched a defamation case against one of the nation’s biggest news channels after it wrongly identified him as an alleged child abductor.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In a missing child case that gripped the nation, Cleo Smith, 4, was rescued from a stranger’s home on 3 November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Police had charged Terence Kelly with her abduction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But hours after his arrest, Seven wrongly published photos of Terrance Flowers, another Aboriginal man.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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His lawyers said Seven had significantly injured his character and reputation by misrepresenting him as the main suspect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the rush after Cleo was found, the news organisation had taken four photos from Mr Flowers’ Facebook account – where he used his mother’s maiden name Kelly – without his consent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Seven then published them across several broadcasts, an online news article and social media posts where they identified Mr Flowers with headings such as: “Pictured: The man accused of abducting Cleo Smith”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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